Techniques learnt on our sourdough making course
- Understand how to make a pre-ferment
- How to make a starter, then make your own starter to take home
- The essential bread making techniques including enriching, kneading, proving and shaping
- Learning about different flours
- The ‘no-knead’ method
- How to fold dough
- Shaping & folding dough
- Shaping baguettes
- Baking in a dutch oven and how to make this work at home
This day-long sourdough making course is designed to give you total confidence in using all of these techniques back in your own kitchen.
Recipes learnt
- A traditional sourdough loaf
- Sourdough baguette
- Rye bread
- Sourdough flatbreads to be enjoyed for lunch with roast chicken and roasted vegetables
- Crackers made using leftover ferment
(Please note, we reserve the right to alter the recipes to meet the dietary requirements of our guests).
Your chef tutor
Andy Tyrrell is the perfect chef to teach this course, with his love of traditional bread making techniques. He has a particular love of sourdough, from starter to finished loaf. His creativity, technical expertise and knowledge make him the ideal person to lead this bread making course. Please note – if you already bake Sourdough on a regular basis then our Sourdough Masterclass is probably more suitable for you.
Sourdough Bread Making | 09:30 – 17:00 | ||
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1 | Arrival & Refreshments
We will welcome you with freshly baked biscuits whilst meeting your fellow bakers. |
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2 | Meet & Greet the Chef
Meet your bread chef Andy and the Seasoned kitchen fairies who will be on hand to help you during your bread making day. |
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3 | Sourdough Loaf & Baguette Baking
We’ll start mixing and kneading your Sourdough country loaf and learning about the your starter which will fuel your sourdough journey With the first fold in your country loaf, we’ll start learning about the different flours used in bread making and the effect of salt when making bread. We’ll use a pre ferment which will be used to add flavour and structure in sourdough baguettes. We will learn how to work with a high hydration dough which is a good technique for other breads such as focaccia, ciabatta and fougasse. After kneading the baguette dough by hand, this will rise in a warm room whilst we turn our attention to Rye bread. Your country loaves will be well underway, with several more ‘folds’ (a key component of ‘no knead baking’) whilst we start making a sourdough Rye loaf, with a rye starter and a blend of different organic Rye flours. |
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4 | Shaping & Folding Dough
Time to finish off your country loaves and learn the secrets of shaping. Whilst your country loaves have a bench rest and then their final shape, we will turn our attention to making flat breads which will be a great addition to our lunch. The same dough can be used for pizza making at home and is a delicious and easy, quick proving bread. |
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5 | Lunch
With our flat breads made we will break for lunch with fellow bakers, to compare notes and enjoy a well-deserved sit down. Lunch will be some seasonal salads & side dishes to accompany your flat breads. |
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6 | Shaping and finishing Rye Breads
Your rye breads in tins and your baguettes as free form loaves is an essential bread making technique and great to do under the guise of an expert tutor. Your bakes will comprise of a free form loaf, proved in a banneton, a rye loaf shaped in a tin and baguettes which once mastered are an impressive bake for a special occasion. |
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7 | Proving & Baking Sourdough
Whilst the final loaves are proving and baking we will turn our attention to starter maintenance and how to care for your sourdough starter at home. |
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8 | Tasting & Departing
Before you depart with bags brimming with freshly baked breads, will have a little taste of the loaves made by your chef, so that you can appreciate what you have created and ask any other final questions alongside a cup of tea. |
Book your place
No prior experience is necessary for this sourdough making course, just enthusiasm. This course is a wonderful experience, as you will be able to learn from a master, meet new people, and enjoy some delicious bread, food and wine along the way. If you can’t get enough of baking, why not check out the rest of our bread making courses?
Anna Tomlinson (verified owner) –
What a fantastic day. Andy Tyrell is an excellent teacher, so knowledgeable and helpful with a wealth of experience he’s happy to share. Great recipes to take home along with three great bakes all using different techniques so a packed informative day. You get a starter to take home which I’ve already used with success! Delicious lunch, wonderful support staff and beautiful setting. Nothing more to say, 5*! – Trip Advisor, 2018
C Sidwell –
I recently attended the sourdough bread course at Catton Hall- what a fantastic day- really informative and interesting. We made four different types of sourdough bread, baguette, rye, country loaf and a flatbread which we had with our delicious lunch. The course leader Andy Tyrrell was really knowledgable and helpful and he demystified what can be a confusing process.
David –
Had a lot of fun on this course and learnt so much! Thanks, Andy
Anna G Bell (verified owner) –
Andy has such a lovely manner and explains everything excellently. Lots of yummy treats to take home. All of the bakes were the type of thing I can easily do at home and we were given lots of tips and tricks to help fit it in to normal daily life. Thanks for a great day.
Andy Davies –
Just a quick note to thank you for the course on Saturday. I learned an awful lot and did so with enjoyment.
Now to put it all to the test back at home.
Again, very many thanks.
Kind regards
Andy Davies